Earl Oliver
Encyclopedia
Earl Oliver is an American
writer
, musician
, variety and street entertainer, and graphic artist. An accomplished blues
guitarist
and singer in Northern California
and the San Francisco Bay Area
, popularly known as the Walkin' Blues Man, he hosted a popular Public-access television
cable TV program, "Earl Oliver & Friends: Live from LaVal's", later called "Live on Location", that aired in 16 stations throughout the region from 1992 to 1995. He has also been the lead vocalist for several California-based bands, most recently, the Groovinators.
In recent years, Oliver has been a regular performer on the Skunk Train, a heritage railway
which runs daily from Fort Bragg
and Willits, California
, and at events such as the Palo Alto Art Walk and Project Read for the San Francisco Public Library
. In 2001, he was called "one of San Francisco's undiscovered treasures" by San Francisco Arts Magazine.
The nephew of professional wrestler Rip "The Crippler" Oliver
, Oliver is a longtime wrestling columnist and historian. His is perhaps best known in the internet wrestling community as the founder of Solie's Vintage Wrestling, a historical professional wrestling website
dedicated to the memory of announcer Gordon Solie
, which is the oldest continually active pro wrestling website on the internet.
but later moved with his family to Southern California
. At age 14, Oliver began playing as a professional musician and in 1969 moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he performed at local jazz
and rock music
night clubs such as The Melting Pot, La Boheme, The Vintner, Family Farmacy, and the Seventh Seal Coffee-House by the early-1970s. While studying music, he was given singing lessons from one-time Metropolitan Opera
diva
Margo Weiss. He also became involved in stage acting within a few years with memorable performances in Bye Bye Birdie, George M!
and Don't Drink the Water
at the Glendale Center, as well performing as a magician
at The Magic Castle
. In 1978, he portrayed the "evil sorcerer
" in Alladin at Pamela and Walter Gilmore
's Golden Mall Playhouse. Around this time, he began producing a variety show, The Showcase, which included musicians, singers, stand up comics, clowns, fire eaters, poetry readers
and other entertainers. It was very successful on the night club circuit, being regularly featured at the Horn in Santa Monica
, and received praise from the L.A. Weekly in July 1979.
and in Canada
for the next 20 years.
By the end of the decade, Oliver had also developed a unique variety act by incorporating magic
into his musical performances, such as draping a scarf over his guitar at the end of his set and making it disappear, which was favorably reviewed by the San Fernando Valley Daily News in October 1989. In 1992, Oliver began producing a monthly Public-access television program, "Earl Oliver & Friends: Live from LaVal's", later called "Live on Location", which featured variety acts at La Val's Subterranean basement club. The show became very popular in San Francisco and was eventually broadcast in 16 stations throughout the region until 1995.
. However, he was primarily employed as a graphic production artist and later, with rise of the internet
during the 1990s, as a web designer and corporate trainer
.
As a young man, he developed an interest in professional wrestling
, being the nephew of Rip "The Crippler" Oliver
, and was especially a fan of famed Championship Wrestling from Florida play-by-play announcer Gordon Solie
. In 1995, Oliver started a website in his honor, Solie's Vintage Wrestling, dedicated to the history of professional wrestling
. It was the first of its kind at the time of its opening and remains the oldest professional wrestling website still active. He was also the editor of the weekly Solie's Wrestling Newsletter from 1996 to 2003.
In addition to Solie's Vintage Wrestling, Oliver has also occasionally contributed to WrestlingClassics.com and was later interviewed in The Wrestling Channel Radio Network’s first original production Jeremy Hartley’s Up Close and Personal. In 1999, he publicly criticized SLAM! Wrestling columnist Eric Benner for a controversial article on the Hart family following the ring death of Owen Hart
. He was occasionally in contact with Solie, who later endorsed the website, shortly before his death in 2000 and was quoted by both wrestling websites and the mainstream media upon the publishing of Solie's biography Gordon Solie: Something Left Behind five years later. He later authored an essay, "Reflections: Remembering Gordon Solie", on Helium.com
.
' Print on Demand Division
in 2005, Oliver left the corporate world to become a full time musician and writer. In his familiar "Walkin' Blues Man" act, he has appeared at such civic events such as the Palo Alto Art Walk and Project Read for the San Francisco Public Library
. He has been a regular performer on the Skunk Train, an heritage railway
running between Fort Bragg
and Willits, California
, and was on hand with Greg Schindel, The Trainsinger and The Black Bart Gunfighters to celebrate its 120th anniversary.
Oliver also formed a partnership with Mendocino Coast music legend, Butch Kwan, releasing the Skunk Train Blues album, and performed together for over two years appearing at the 2004 and 2006 Caspar World Folk Festival, "Art in the Gardens" at the North Coast Botanical Gardens
, and headlined the 12th annual "Local Licks Live" concert sponsored by KOZT 95.3 FM
. Beginning in 2005, they were regular performers at Fort Bragg's annual "World's Largest Salmon BarBQ". In recent years, he has revisited several of these events as the lead vocalist for The Groovinators.
founded by San Francisco musician Earl Oliver. It first appeared in 1995, named in honor of announcer Gordon Solie
, and was one of the earliest known pro wrestling website to appear on the internet. The website had a number of innovative features, most notably, one of the most extensive collection of wrestling title histories
on the internet. It was also home to "Solie's Wrestling Newsletter", of which Oliver was the editor, and all 753 editions were put online following the end of its run in November 2003. Solie.org is considered a valued reference among wrestling fans and the internet wrestling community. As of 2010, it is the oldest continually active pro wrestling website on the internet.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, variety and street entertainer, and graphic artist. An accomplished blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and singer in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
and the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, popularly known as the Walkin' Blues Man, he hosted a popular Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV program, "Earl Oliver & Friends: Live from LaVal's", later called "Live on Location", that aired in 16 stations throughout the region from 1992 to 1995. He has also been the lead vocalist for several California-based bands, most recently, the Groovinators.
In recent years, Oliver has been a regular performer on the Skunk Train, a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
which runs daily from Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
and Willits, California
Willits, California
Willits is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Willits is located north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 1391 feet . The population was 4,888 at the 2010 census, down from 5,073 at the 2000 census. Willits is at the center of Mendocino County and its redwood forests...
, and at events such as the Palo Alto Art Walk and Project Read for the San Francisco Public Library
San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Francisco. Its main library is located in San Francisco's Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street at Grove. The first public library of San Francisco officially opened in 1879, just 30 years after the California Gold...
. In 2001, he was called "one of San Francisco's undiscovered treasures" by San Francisco Arts Magazine.
The nephew of professional wrestler Rip "The Crippler" Oliver
Rip Oliver
Lawrence Oliver is a former professional wrestler, known as "Crippler" Rip Oliver, who had great success in Pacific Northwest Wrestling. He is the son of Ray Oliver, Sr., known as Rip "the Crippler" Oliver, and the brother of Ray Oliver, Jr., who also portrayed the masked Super Ninja character from...
, Oliver is a longtime wrestling columnist and historian. His is perhaps best known in the internet wrestling community as the founder of Solie's Vintage Wrestling, a historical professional wrestling website
History of professional wrestling
Professional wrestling in the United States, up until the late 1920s, was viewed as a legitimate sport. Across the country there were "iron men" who would stand in the center of the ring, usually at state fairs, and literally shout out a challenge to anyone with the nerve to enter the ring...
dedicated to the memory of announcer Gordon Solie
Gordon Solie
Jonard Frank Labiak , better known as Gordon Solie, was a Florida-based professional wrestling play-by-play announcer working for World Championship Wrestling...
, which is the oldest continually active pro wrestling website on the internet.
Early life and career
Earl Oliver was born in Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
but later moved with his family to Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. At age 14, Oliver began playing as a professional musician and in 1969 moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he performed at local jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
night clubs such as The Melting Pot, La Boheme, The Vintner, Family Farmacy, and the Seventh Seal Coffee-House by the early-1970s. While studying music, he was given singing lessons from one-time Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
Margo Weiss. He also became involved in stage acting within a few years with memorable performances in Bye Bye Birdie, George M!
George M!
George M! is a Broadway musical based on the life of George M. Cohan, the biggest Broadway star of his day who was known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway." The book for the musical was written by Michael Stewart, John Pascal, and Francine Pascal. Music and lyrics were, of course, by George M...
and Don't Drink the Water
Don't Drink the Water (play)
Don't Drink the Water is a play written by Woody Allen that premiered on Broadway on November 17, 1966 and played for 598 performances at three different Broadway theaters. The farce takes place inside an American Embassy behind the Iron Curtain...
at the Glendale Center, as well performing as a magician
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
at The Magic Castle
The Magic Castle
The Magic Castle, located at 7001 Franklin Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, is a nightclub for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It bills itself as "the most unusual private club in the world."-Nightclub:The Magic...
. In 1978, he portrayed the "evil sorcerer
Sorcerer
-Gaming:* Sorcerer , a 2002 tabletop role playing game made by Ron Edwards* Sorcerer , a 1984 interactive fiction computer game made by Infocom...
" in Alladin at Pamela and Walter Gilmore
Pamela Kosh
Pamela Kosh, also known as Pam Kosh, is an American television and film actress best known for her roles as Miss Peach in Days of Our Lives, Flora in The King of Queens, Miss Simpson in Saved by the Bell and Martha in Dr...
's Golden Mall Playhouse. Around this time, he began producing a variety show, The Showcase, which included musicians, singers, stand up comics, clowns, fire eaters, poetry readers
Poetry reading
A poetry reading is a performance of poetry, normally given on a small stage in a café or bookstore, although poetry readings given by notable poets frequently are booked into larger venues to accommodate crowds...
and other entertainers. It was very successful on the night club circuit, being regularly featured at the Horn in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, and received praise from the L.A. Weekly in July 1979.
Music and television career
In the 1980s, Oliver returned to the music scene finding limited success with the bands JUMP CITY and The Sphere. He also entered the recording business producing radio advertisements for local camera stores and shoe emporiums, doing voice overs and writing advertising jingles. Also during this time, he began developing the stage persona of "a blues shouting, banjo playing" singer called the "Walkin' Blues Man". The character would become a familiar sight at countless parades, music and art festivals, county fairs, farmers markets and other outdoor events throughout the West Coast of the United StatesWest Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for the next 20 years.
By the end of the decade, Oliver had also developed a unique variety act by incorporating magic
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
into his musical performances, such as draping a scarf over his guitar at the end of his set and making it disappear, which was favorably reviewed by the San Fernando Valley Daily News in October 1989. In 1992, Oliver began producing a monthly Public-access television program, "Earl Oliver & Friends: Live from LaVal's", later called "Live on Location", which featured variety acts at La Val's Subterranean basement club. The show became very popular in San Francisco and was eventually broadcast in 16 stations throughout the region until 1995.
Internet writing
Oliver held a number of entertainment and music-related occupations throughout his life including as a disk jockey, carnival barker, broadcast journalist, answering service operator, voice artist, and ring announcerRing announcer
A ring announcer is a paid in-ring employee for a boxing, professional wrestling, or mixed martial arts event or promotion...
. However, he was primarily employed as a graphic production artist and later, with rise of the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
during the 1990s, as a web designer and corporate trainer
Corporate trainer
A corporate trainer is a specialized skill development position in a corporation where the goal is to help improve the performance of the employees. The performance areas can range from "soft skills" or "people skills" to “hard skills” relating to specific technical tasks. The term is generic and...
.
As a young man, he developed an interest in professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, being the nephew of Rip "The Crippler" Oliver
Rip Oliver
Lawrence Oliver is a former professional wrestler, known as "Crippler" Rip Oliver, who had great success in Pacific Northwest Wrestling. He is the son of Ray Oliver, Sr., known as Rip "the Crippler" Oliver, and the brother of Ray Oliver, Jr., who also portrayed the masked Super Ninja character from...
, and was especially a fan of famed Championship Wrestling from Florida play-by-play announcer Gordon Solie
Gordon Solie
Jonard Frank Labiak , better known as Gordon Solie, was a Florida-based professional wrestling play-by-play announcer working for World Championship Wrestling...
. In 1995, Oliver started a website in his honor, Solie's Vintage Wrestling, dedicated to the history of professional wrestling
History of professional wrestling
Professional wrestling in the United States, up until the late 1920s, was viewed as a legitimate sport. Across the country there were "iron men" who would stand in the center of the ring, usually at state fairs, and literally shout out a challenge to anyone with the nerve to enter the ring...
. It was the first of its kind at the time of its opening and remains the oldest professional wrestling website still active. He was also the editor of the weekly Solie's Wrestling Newsletter from 1996 to 2003.
In addition to Solie's Vintage Wrestling, Oliver has also occasionally contributed to WrestlingClassics.com and was later interviewed in The Wrestling Channel Radio Network’s first original production Jeremy Hartley’s Up Close and Personal. In 1999, he publicly criticized SLAM! Wrestling columnist Eric Benner for a controversial article on the Hart family following the ring death of Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
. He was occasionally in contact with Solie, who later endorsed the website, shortly before his death in 2000 and was quoted by both wrestling websites and the mainstream media upon the publishing of Solie's biography Gordon Solie: Something Left Behind five years later. He later authored an essay, "Reflections: Remembering Gordon Solie", on Helium.com
Helium.com
Helium.com, Inc. is a website where active writers are paid for contributing articles, and visitors can read these articles for free. User generated content in a given title is rated up or down by other writers in a form of peer review system. As with social news sites like Digg or Reddit, user...
.
Recent years
In 2001, he was called "one of San Francisco's undiscovered treasures" by San Francisco Arts Magazine. In October 2003 he moved to Fort Bragg, California where Oliver and his wife Lonna settled in a 90-year old farmhouse. After being laid off from IKON Office SolutionsIKON Office Solutions
IKON Office Solutions is a company based in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Formerly part of ALCO Standard. It was the world's largest independent provider of document management systems and services until it was purchased by manufacturer Ricoh in 2008...
' Print on Demand Division
Print on demand
Print on demand , sometimes called, in error, publish on demand, is a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book are not printed until an order has been received...
in 2005, Oliver left the corporate world to become a full time musician and writer. In his familiar "Walkin' Blues Man" act, he has appeared at such civic events such as the Palo Alto Art Walk and Project Read for the San Francisco Public Library
San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Francisco. Its main library is located in San Francisco's Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street at Grove. The first public library of San Francisco officially opened in 1879, just 30 years after the California Gold...
. He has been a regular performer on the Skunk Train, an heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
running between Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
and Willits, California
Willits, California
Willits is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Willits is located north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 1391 feet . The population was 4,888 at the 2010 census, down from 5,073 at the 2000 census. Willits is at the center of Mendocino County and its redwood forests...
, and was on hand with Greg Schindel, The Trainsinger and The Black Bart Gunfighters to celebrate its 120th anniversary.
Oliver also formed a partnership with Mendocino Coast music legend, Butch Kwan, releasing the Skunk Train Blues album, and performed together for over two years appearing at the 2004 and 2006 Caspar World Folk Festival, "Art in the Gardens" at the North Coast Botanical Gardens
North Coast Regional Botanic Garden
The North Coast Regional Botanic Garden is located at Hardacre Street, a kilometre from the centre of Coffs Harbour in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.The gardens open from 9 am to 5 pm every day of the year...
, and headlined the 12th annual "Local Licks Live" concert sponsored by KOZT 95.3 FM
KOZT
KOZT The Coast is a radio station broadcasting a Album Oriented Rock format. Licensed to Ft. Bragg, California, USA, the station primarily serves Mendocino County, California. The station is currently owned by California Radio Partners, Inc...
. Beginning in 2005, they were regular performers at Fort Bragg's annual "World's Largest Salmon BarBQ". In recent years, he has revisited several of these events as the lead vocalist for The Groovinators.
Solie's Vintage Wrestling
Solie's Vintage Wrestling is an award-winning historical professional wrestling websiteHistory of professional wrestling
Professional wrestling in the United States, up until the late 1920s, was viewed as a legitimate sport. Across the country there were "iron men" who would stand in the center of the ring, usually at state fairs, and literally shout out a challenge to anyone with the nerve to enter the ring...
founded by San Francisco musician Earl Oliver. It first appeared in 1995, named in honor of announcer Gordon Solie
Gordon Solie
Jonard Frank Labiak , better known as Gordon Solie, was a Florida-based professional wrestling play-by-play announcer working for World Championship Wrestling...
, and was one of the earliest known pro wrestling website to appear on the internet. The website had a number of innovative features, most notably, one of the most extensive collection of wrestling title histories
Championship (professional wrestling)
A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
on the internet. It was also home to "Solie's Wrestling Newsletter", of which Oliver was the editor, and all 753 editions were put online following the end of its run in November 2003. Solie.org is considered a valued reference among wrestling fans and the internet wrestling community. As of 2010, it is the oldest continually active pro wrestling website on the internet.
- Storefront: Professional wrestling memorabilia, usually dvdDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
releases, personally recommended by Earl Oliver. - Title Histories: One of the largest collections of championship title historiesChampionship (professional wrestling)A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
from over 300 promotions throughout the 20th and early 21st century. - Wrestling Forums: A listing of major pro wrestling-related internet forums. The website had its own official forum from 1996 to 2000.
- Newsletter: An archive of "Solie's Wrestling Newsletter" from 1996 to 2003.
- Images: A photo gallery of snapshots, publicity photos, newspaper and magazine articles, and other memorabilia of the Television era from the personal collections of Joe Wolfe, Marc Friedland, Dixie Moulton and Earl Oliver.
- Articles: A collection of pro-wrestling related magazine and newspaper articles from wrestling columnists from throughout the country. These include stories from the CharlotteThe Charlotte ObserverThe Charlotte Observer, serving Charlotte, North Carolina and its metro area, is the largest newspaper, in terms of circulation, in North Carolina and South Carolina...
and Dallas ObserverDallas ObserverThe Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
, LA Times, Miami Herald, New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
and Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. - Interviews: Exclusive interviews with many professional wrestlers from the 1980s1980s wrestling boomThe 1980s professional wrestling boom was a surge in the popularity of professional wrestling in the United States and elsewhere throughout the 1980s...
and 90s wrestling boom. These were later transcribed from various television, radio and internet interviews for "Solie's Wrestling Newsletter". - Rosters: A complete roster listing of World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
and the World Wrestling Federation from 1986 to 1998, from the United States Wrestling AssociationUnited States Wrestling AssociationThe United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
for 1997, and Extreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
from 1997 to 1998. - Wrestlers' Win/Loss Records: A compilation of win/loss recordsWinning percentageIn sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
from every wrestler competing in WCW from 1990 to 1999, and the WWF from 1987 to 1999. - A-List: A listing of websites recommended by Earl Oliver which range from a variety of wrestling-related subjects including journalism, history, statistics and research, official websites for promotions, schools, wrestlers and photography and video resources.
- Awards: A section of the website which showcases awards and reviews received by Solie.org during its early years.
- The Illustrated History of the Four Horsemen: An extensive 21-part series detailing the history of first three incarnations of the Four HorsemenFour Horsemen (professional wrestling)The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
from 1985 to 1992.
Discography
- The Walkin' Blues Man! (2004)
- Skunk Train Blues (2005)
- Music of the Spheres (2007)
- Groovinators (2010)
External links
- EarlOliver.com, official website
- Solie's Vintage Wrestling